Written Answers Friday 3 November 2006

Scottish Executive

Transport

Margaret Smith (Edinburgh West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what progress has been made on the study into replacing or augmenting the main cables on the Forth Road Bridge.

Tavish Scott: After a tender competition under European procurement rules, FETA appointed Fairhurst consulting engineers in September to undertake the study. Fairhurst has a Danish company, Cowie Consult, and an American company, Amman and Whitney, as sub-consultants to assist it. Both have international experience in cable supported bridges. An information gathering exercise is now underway prior to starting the detailed study. As agreed with FETA, Transport Scotland and its consultant Flint and Neill Partnership will be part of a peer review group as the work progresses. The first workshop between the consultants, FETA and Transport Scotland takes place on 2 November with the completion of the commission planned for September 2007. I have asked FETA to report on their consultants’ emerging findings to inform the study I have initiated into a Forth replacement crossing which is due to conclude at the end of May 2007.

Transport

Margaret Smith (Edinburgh West) (LD): To ask the Scottish Executive what the maintenance costs were for the (a) Forth Road Bridge, (b) Tay Road Bridge, (c) Erskine Bridge and (d) Clyde Tunnel in each of the last five years.

Tavish Scott: (a) Information on maintenance costs for the Forth Road Bridge is available from the Forth Estuary Transport Authority, which owns and operates the bridge.

  (b) Information on maintenance costs for the Tay Road Bridge is available from the Tay Road Bridge Joint Board, which owns and operates the bridge.(c) Expenditure on the Erskine Bridge is detailed in the Erskine Bridge Accounts 2000-01 to 2004-05, copies of which are available in the Scottish Parliament Information Centre (Bib. numbers 24147, 25778, 30370, 34771 and 38449 respectively). The Accounts for 2005-06 will be laid before the Parliament later this year.

  (d) The Clyde Tunnel is a local road and is therefore the responsibility of Glasgow City Council, as the local roads authority for the area. Information on the maintenance costs for the tunnel is available from the council.